FIVE countries are left in the race to host the 2018 Ryder Cup after Sweden pulled out yesterday.

The Swedish Golf Federation and Scandinavian Golf Event Management (SGEM), the company behind the nation’s bid, have decided to switch their focus to the 2022 event.

The organisers cited a weakened economy and insurmountable challenges in terms of sourcing the necessary finances – including lack of Government funding–- as the reasons for their decision to pull out of the race.

France, Germany, Holland, Portugal and Spain remain.

Jacob Wallenberg, chairman of SGEM, said: “The Ryder Cup is a fantastic event and it is regrettable that it was not possible to resolve the funding for 2018.

“However, Sweden needs major events and one of these may be The Ryder Cup. We will work to ensure we can make a new application for 2022.”

Richard Hills, Ryder Cup director, said: “These are challenging times and we appreciate the complexities of preparing a submission which meets all the necessary criteria.

“Swedish golfers have played a leading role in Europe’s recent Ryder Cup successes and we hope that Sweden will be in a position to make a vigorous bid to stage the event when it returns to Europe in 2022.”